Physicist Wins New Simons Foundation Award

Duke physicist Matthew Hastings has been named one of 21 Simons Foundation Investigators. The award recognizes Hastings' experiments and simulations probing how particles interact on a quantum level.This is the first year of the Simons Investigators program, which aims to provide a stable base of support for outstanding scientists in their most productive years. The prize, which carries a purse of $100,000 per year for each recipient, will enable Hastings and the other winners to do long-term studies of nature's most fundamental questions. Along with the individual funds, the foundation has also granted the Duke physics department $10,000.There is no official award ceremony. However, the winners were recognized in a New York Times advertisement appearing in the July 24 Science Times section.